Narmada district, which has one of the highest concentrations of tribal population in Gujarat, has recorded the highest overall pass percentage among all districts in this year’s Class 10 Board examination – an achievement that underscores the steady transformation in education in one of the state’s most aspirational regions.
Narmada, a district with a tribal population of more than 81%, has achieved a pass percentage of 90.85% in the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) examination, the results of which were announced on Wednesday (May 6). The overall pass percentage in the state is 83.86%.
Officials attributed the historic first to a sustained push for teacher recruitments in the district, a decisive shift in the mindset of tribal students, and a pre-examination morale booster from Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.
Of the 6,885 students who sat for the Board exam in the district, 6,257 were successful, a clear improvement over the 2025 pass percentage of 88.40%.
A total 149 students secured the A1 grade, which is awarded for scores between 91 and 100 marks, signifying top-tier academic excellence.
Forty-one schools in the district achieved 100% results, a 37% increase over last year’s number of 30 schools. The pass percentage in no school fell below 30%, Narmada District Education Officer (DEO) Kiran Patel said.
Among the exam centres, the best performance – a pass percentage of 97.16% – was recorded at Timbapada, a village in Dediapada taluka of the district, Patel said. A total 12 centres have recorded more than 90% results, and several have crossed 95%.
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Narmada district, lying to the east of the state and bordering Maharashtra’s Nandurbar district, was carved out of the original Vadodara and Bharuch districts in 1997. The Narmada river flows through the district, which is home to the Statue of Unity, the world’s tallest statue, which stands at a distance of 27 km from Rajpipla, the district headquarters.
The turnaround in the educational performance of boys and girls in the district has not happened overnight.
Before it topped all districts in the Class 10 performance on May 6, Narmada had been on a sustained trajectory of improvement for at least the last four years. Data from 2022 show Narmada consistently performed above the state average, and was frequently placed in the top five among the state’s 34 districts.
Officials attributed the improvement to sustained academic interventions in remote tribal pockets, where children are often the first Board exam-takers in their families. Strengthening the teaching workforce through increased recruitments and state government programs such as Shikshan Sahayak and Gyan Sahayak have helped very significantly, DEO Patel said.
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The Gujarat State Education Department’s Gyan Sahayak scheme appoints teachers in primary, secondary, and higher secondary government and grant-in-aid schools on an 11-month contractual basis. Candidates who have cleared TAT/ TET are hired for a monthly honorarium of Rs 21,000 to Rs 26,000 with the aim of filling vacancies and easing the shortage of teaching staff.
Shikshan Sahayaks are appointed on a contractual basis for a fixed tenure before they are absorbed into regular permanent positions. During this period, they are paid a fixed stipend rather than the full salary scale given to regular teachers.
In the year 2025-26, 42 Shikshan Sahayaks and 31 Gyan Sahayaks were recruited by the primary education department, while the secondary education department recruited 82 Shikshan Sahayaks and 23 Gyan Sahayaks, as per the DEO’s record.
“These recruitments have ensured better classroom continuity, subject-wise mentoring, and closer monitoring of student performance,” Patel said. The teachers, he said, were encouraged to adopt remedial teaching practices and conduct regular assessments to bridge learning gaps early.
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“Many students are first-time learners from remotely located families,” Patel said. “Telling them to aim for the qualifying marks rather than be intimidated by the 100 marks paper was the first step. This sensitisation – nudging them to look for an achievable target – rather than intimidating them has worked,” he said.
Accordingly, teachers shifted the narrative from treating exams as a high-pressure, make-or-break event to prioritising the goal of securing passing marks first. “Through regular counselling, classroom discussions, and targeted guidance, students were encouraged to break down the syllabus into manageable portions and focus on fundamentals,” Patel said.
“This approach helped reduce exam anxiety, and built confidence that passing the exam was within reach, translating into better-than-expected performance, gradually over the years.”
The visit of Prime Minister Modi to Dediapada in November 2025, when he interacted with the students preparing for Board exams “became a catalyst”, Patel said.
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“We had prepared our students for the interaction with the Prime Minister. In his direct interaction with the students, he emphasised on learning without stress. He spoke of his book ‘Exam Warriors’ and instilled much confidence among the tribal students, citing success stories from tribal communities in recent years… Thereafter, we also gave the students a set of Exam Warriors to read… It is not just about marks but about changing how students approach exams,” he said.
